WBESFL 30

Chapter 30

From the morning, people who had been gathered without knowing why exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.

It was rare for the Baroness to summon all the servants in one place.

When the Baroness appeared with a cold expression none of them had seen before, the room became deathly silent—so still that even breathing was restrained.

“You are all people of this castle—my vassals.”

The Baroness began to speak calmly.

“That is why I’ve always treated you well, to the best of my ability. Honestly, I believe I’ve done so well that I have no regrets.”

The servants nodded, but their faces showed confusion as to why she was saying this.

“But to think I had such despicable people under me—”

Her voice turned sharp like a sword unsheathed, cutting into their eardrums.

“Who gave you the right to gossip about my heir?”

Their expressions began to change. One by one, they started to realize why they had been summoned.

“How vile do you have to be to exploit a young girl just to satisfy your own greed?”

Veins stood out on the Baroness’s neck. The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and her voice rose.

“Who told you to lay a hand on my niece?!”

Everyone flinched and hunched over at her furious shout.

Panting heavily, the Baroness closed her eyes to calm her breathing. Once she was composed, she opened them again.

“I’ll make my judgment here and now.”

She looked around and declared sternly:

“You’re all fired.”

Like a crashing wave, shock and commotion spread instantly. The servants rushed to the podium where the Baroness stood.

She had once treated them kindly, thinking they were her responsibility, but now looked down at them with cold, emotionless eyes.

“No, please, milady! Forgive us!”

“Give us one more chance! We won’t do it again!”

“Have mercy, please! We have nowhere to go if we’re dismissed!”

They cried out, begging for her forgiveness. But the Baroness drew a sharp breath and shouted at them.

“Shame on you!”

The room fell silent in an instant. A few hiccupped, staring at her in a daze.

“How many of you are younger than Eleonora or Vanessa? Younger than Vanessa two years ago?”

Even the youngest servant was well past the age of adulthood. They were not young enough to be excused.

As they stood there, unable to answer, the Baroness sneered.

“You should be grateful I’m not having you flogged. If you continue to complain without remorse, I just might.”

There was not a shred of mercy or even her usual kindness in her voice. The servants drooped their heads in despair.

Though there would be a temporary shortage of hands, they could just hire new ones. Emma and Gregory were already in the process of recruiting.

“Be gone by the end of today.”

With those final words, the Baroness turned away. Kenneth followed behind her as she headed to her office.

Without turning around, she called to him.

“Kenneth.”

“Yes.”

“You’re docked six months’ pay.”

“Yes.”

He accepted the punishment. After all, he had kept silent about it.

Though he only knew part of the issue involving Vanessa, he still failed to report the rumors surrounding her.

Wondering how to regain her trust, he followed her quietly.

Instead of going to her office, the Baroness headed to the third floor of the main building.

But not to her niece’s room, which received the most sunlight. She went to a different room—small but cozy—that had become someone’s space over the past two years.

After knocking and waiting, the door opened to reveal a girl with crimson hair and eyes.

“Baroness…?”

Vanessa widened her eyes in surprise. It was the first time the Baroness had visited without any notice.

She hurriedly let the Baroness inside. Kenneth stepped away to give them privacy.

“I’m sorry—I don’t have any tea…”

“No need. You’re injured. Don’t push yourself. Just sit comfortably.”

The Baroness waved her off as Vanessa tried to fetch water. Hesitantly, Vanessa sat on the sofa.

Why had she come? Was it about Nancy?

Vanessa hadn’t yet heard about the mass dismissal of the servants, so she swallowed dryly, unable to guess the reason for the visit.

“How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“I heard from Eleonora that you suffered because of a maid.”

The Baroness’s voice was kind and sincere. Receiving her warm gaze, Vanessa shrank back a little.

So the young lady didn’t just mention it in passing—she really did speak up for me.

Realizing that Eleonora had told the Baroness out of genuine concern, Vanessa’s guilt grew heavier.

“I’m sorry. I brought you here but didn’t take proper care of you.”

Vanessa’s eyes widened at the unexpected apology. She quickly shook her head.

How could someone like her accept an apology from the Baroness?

Just a few days ago, she had acted rudely toward Eleonora—someone the Baroness dearly cherished—while pretending to be kind in front of others.

The Baroness didn’t know yet because Eleonora hadn’t said anything. Vanessa lowered her head, feeling like a criminal.

“It’s all my fault. After hearing everything from Eleonora, I felt sorry for her—but even more so for you.”

The Baroness deeply regretted not realizing how a younger Vanessa had silently suffered.

She had brought the girl here, yet failed to show the responsibility that came with it.

“If even Eleonora, who just arrived, noticed right away, how much harder must it have been for you all this time?”

“It’s not like that. I…”

“Vanessa, I truly care about you.”

Her sincere tone made Vanessa look up. The Baroness was looking at her with affection.

“They say love takes different forms.”

She wanted Vanessa to know that it wasn’t because she didn’t love her that she had ignored the rumors.

Her indifference had stemmed from a careless belief that nothing would happen to Vanessa after bringing her here. That negligence, she would apologize for.

But she still wanted to make it clear: her affection for Vanessa was real.

“My love for you might be different from what I feel for Eleonora, but it is love all the same.”

“…”

“That’s why I feel even more sorry. For loving you this much and still failing to take care of you properly.”

Like a frozen lake thawing under warm spring sunshine—

Vanessa felt something inside her, something like a thin wall, melt and crumble.

Her inferiority complex and sense of defeat—feeling she could never be like Eleonora—had always haunted her.

But now, the Baroness’s words made her realize how foolish that had been.

Just as she said, love came in different forms. Even if the affection she received was different from Eleonora’s, it was still real.

Even if she wasn’t like Eleonora, the Baroness still cared for and loved her.

Vanessa had been comparing herself to Eleonora and dragging herself into a pit of misery.

“Vanessa?”

Seeing her tears fall silently, the Baroness looked startled. But soon, she smiled gently and let her cry.

With that realization, Vanessa buried her face in her hands, tears falling freely. She felt like such a fool.

And along with that, her guilt toward Eleonora grew even heavier.

News of nearly half the servants being dismissed spread through the castle before noon.

Lisa came running to tell Eleonora.

She couldn’t wait to share the delightful news.

“My lady, did you hear?!”

Panting, she delivered the story. Eleonora, lying idly in bed, perked up with a bright smile.

“That’s great. I guess this is why status matters.”

Though she was a noble, in the castle she was just the lord’s niece and a daughter of the Stikoff family.

Nobility was just a title. She had no real power or rank—this reminded her of the importance of status.

If she had tried to handle this herself, mass dismissal would’ve been impossible. Her influence in Oklama was too limited.

“Thank goodness the Baroness handled it swiftly.”

“Indeed. She must have been really furious.”

They had messed with both her beloved niece and her sponsored child—no wonder.

Eleonora felt thoroughly refreshed by her aunt’s quick, decisive actions.

“It’s going to be chaotic for a while, so let’s just stay in our room.”

New people would be coming in to fill the vacancies.

Until her ankle fully healed, Eleonora planned to remain quietly in bed.

The mountain of books beside her bed—The Wicked Prince Is Unstoppable, He’ll Kiss You for 5 Gold, and The Duke’s Lips Are Delicious—finally marked the end of her boring convalescence.

With new staff in place and the castle atmosphere settled, she unwrapped her bandages and received a clean bill of health from the doctor.

That very day, a gift arrived from Beiren.

Seven sapphire-blue roses and a pair of white shoes adorned with rubies.

“Did my parents send this?”

The Stikoff family wasn’t wealthy, but they weren’t poor either. Still, it seemed odd.

Lydia would be the only one to send such a gift after hearing of her injury.

Why this all of a sudden?

As Eleonora puzzled over the glittering shoes, Lisa hesitated before speaking.

“Um… the sender was His Highness the Crown Prince.”

…Leopold?

Startled, Eleonora almost dropped the shoes. She quickly put them back in the box.

They were beautiful, but knowing Leopold had sent them suddenly made them feel suspicious.

Why would he send me this…?

“Did he send both the flowers and shoes?”

“Yes.”

Eleonora looked back and forth between the two items warily. What was the meaning behind this? There had to be a hidden message.

Like that letter from Ernst—probably another warning on Lydia’s behalf.

“Did he say anything?”

“No, the servant who delivered it didn’t mention anything.”

“Really?”

Eleonora searched the box, but there was no message. Just the flowers and shoes. No words.

He sent this… with nothing?

Leopold’s unexpected move made her uneasy. Surely he could’ve made up an excuse—but instead, he sent the gifts without a word.

…Was it just out of courtesy, since I’m the heroine’s sister?

It made a bit of sense. If that was all, it wasn’t so strange that he sent something.

‘Still, something’s off.’

Sighing, Eleonora shoved the blue roses and ruby shoes back into the box.

Even the freshness of the roses, preserved by magic, bothered her.

They were valuable gifts, but since they were from Leopold, she felt uncomfortable.

There was only one solution to this kind of unease. Eleonora waved her hand at Lisa.

“Store them somewhere deep—somewhere no one can touch them.”

It was a polite way of saying, toss them in a corner where no one sees them. Lisa closed the box with a blue ribbon and worried.

“Is it really okay to treat a gift from the Crown Prince like this?”

“He’s not even here. Who cares? And we have to preserve the gift, since it’s from His Highness—keep it clean.”

Her words, spoken with a straight face, clearly meant she had no intention of wearing those ruby shoes. Lisa glanced around. Phew, just us here.

She wrapped the box carefully and stashed it deep inside the dressing room.

Once the gift was out of sight, Eleonora felt better. A sudden thought struck her, and she turned halfway toward Lisa.

“Oh! Lisa, help me get ready to go out.”

Lisa poked her head out of the dressing room with a puzzled look.

“Where are we going?”

“To the Merba market. I have something to buy.”

For both Eleonora and Lisa, it had been a while since they’d gone out.

By now, summer had arrived in full in Oklama.

Lisa chose a light dress with a U-shaped neckline trimmed with floral lace. The ivory dress had soft waves and a satin ribbon around the waist. She pinned up Eleonora’s hair and secured it with a pearl-studded headband, adding a wide-brimmed yellow hat just in case.

They headed to Merba Market.

As always, the market was lively—not as noisy as Beiren’s, but warm and familiar, like among neighbors.

Eleonora stood in front of the market’s only bookstore.

It was small, but gave off the air of a well-loved local staple. She pushed open the worn wooden door, and a dull bell chimed.

“Welcome.”

The middle-aged man arranging books was startled to see her. A noble lady like her was rare in Oklama.

“Are you the owner?”

“Yes, ma’am. How can I help you?”

He instantly recognized her as the Baroness’s niece, once the talk of the town.

So this is the precious lady from the capital…

In the dusty shop, Eleonora looked radiant—elegant and beautiful, like a pearl hidden in an oyster.

“I heard you sell pens and paper here, not just books?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Do you have leather-bound notebooks and pens?”

“Of course.”

The owner quickly fetched the finest calfskin notebook and a delicate quill pen from the glass counter.

Eleonora examined the items with interest. The leather was soft, the paper stiff, and the pen light.

“Excellent quality. Very good.”

“Th-thank you, my lady!”

To be praised by someone accustomed to only the finest of the capital thrilled the shopkeeper.

But then Eleonora handed the quill back.

“Is something wrong with the pen?”

“The recipient has very large hands. Their fingers are at least a joint longer than mine. I think this quill might be too delicate.”

She gestured to show the size difference. The shopkeeper understood.

“Ah, I see. Let me show you another option.”

He brought out a long, navy case. Inside was a black fountain pen with a metallic trim.

“It’s larger and sturdier than the usual pens. How about this?”

Eleonora picked it up with her slender fingers. It was indeed longer than average, and felt nice to hold. The metal parts made it feel solid.

A satisfied smile tugged at her lips. This was the best she could get in Oklama—for now. Next time she went near Beiren, she could find a better one.

“I’ll take it.”

“Right away, my lady.”

The owner cheerfully packed the notebook and pen into a box, tying the string in a decorative ribbon.

“Please visit again, my lady!”

With a courteous bow, he saw her out. She was pleased with the purchase.

“Who’s it for?” Lisa asked, having guessed the gift wasn’t for Eleonora.

“It’s a thank-you gift.”

“For whom?”

“For everyone who went up the mountain.”

But… isn’t there only one gift?

Puzzled, Lisa followed her as Eleonora set the box in the carriage and gave the coachman new instructions. Grabbing Lisa’s arm, she grinned.

“Now, let’s do some real shopping.”

Under the blazing summer sun, Lisa had a feeling.

Today, Lady Eleonora is going to conquer the Merba Market.